Cross Post – Why I NEVER Recommend Teaching as a Profession – The Tempered Radical

This post by @plugusin and the discussion evolving in the comments is real reflection of the ongoing emotional struggle in the hearts of our best educators.  I continue to call for real heroes to step up and live out the calling to teach, but I too believe those individuals need to enter this work with eyes wide open to the realities.  How do we engage in rigorous dialogue about education around the research and evidence of what works rather than what is easy and attractive to voters misinformed by soundbites?  How do we lead this dialogue effectively from within our profession?

Here is the post by teacher, author, and champion blogger Bill Ferriter:

Why I NEVER Recommend Teaching as a Profession – The Tempered Radical.

How to Quickly Overcome Inexperience

Reblogged from Leadership Freak:

10 dangers of inexperienced leaders:

1. Needing to be liked.
2. Blaming.
3. Emotional decisions.
4. Impulsiveness.
5. Trying too hard.
6. Neglecting the long term.
7. Focusing on symptoms rather than causes.
8. Aiming without pulling the trigger.
9. Meddling.
10. Forget to say thank you. (Speaking of thanks, many of these points were inspired by contributors on the Leadership Freak Facebook Page. Thank you!)

10 questions every inexperienced leader must…

Read more… 263 more words

“Vulnerability is the Birthplace of Innovation and Change”

Thanks to @DCheesebrow I ran across this powerful Ted Talks video presented by Brene Brown titled “Listening to Shame.”  Shame isn’t a frequently mentioned topic in discussions around leadership, however the picture she paints of this “epidemic” seems to breath deeply into the work of leading in the public sector.  Effectively leading with noticeable authenticity demands a character rooted in vulnerability – the “birthplace of innovation and change.”  One must address shame to be vulnerable.  Whether we can and/or will admit and talk about it, this message hits mighty close to home for all of us…

 

 

How do you hold yourself accountable to addressing shame and leading with authentic vulnerability?

 

 

Introversion in Our Classrooms?

This Ted Talk video strikes close to home for a guy serving the public as a leader in public education.  How many of our students fall victim to this kind of bias in our schools and our economy?  How might we intentionally value the strengths that introverted students, staff, and community members bring to our work each day?

Thanks to Susan Cain for sharing her wisdom in her newest release: Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.

Information Overload?

As we step up our push in @ISD191 to integrate more technology in our classrooms and organizational work, we are certain to experience push back from those who are overwhelmed by the language of technology.  For those who don’t speak or understand the language, learning to use new tools and ways of doing our work demands a great deal of effort.  The struggle of managing the constant flow of information and ongoing dialogues while also trying to be tightly focused on my core work - not to mention trying to be a good husband and father of two young kids – is a very real wrestling match for me.  Some days I feel like our new reality is a lot like the what is portrayed in the humorous video commercial below from Xerox shared in a slide share presentation by TDOttowa on 21st century leadership.

Public Schools, Democracy at Work

If you are an educator who has spent a few sleepless nights wondering why you were called into this difficult work (isn’t that all of us?) and you haven’t read some of Parker Palmer’s work, adding a couple of his books to your 2012 reading list is a must.  I was first introduced to Palmer through his best seller The Courage to Teach and have been blessed to hear him speak and facilitate rich conversation at his almamater, Carleton College here in Northfield, MN.  Palmer reaches beyond our routine conversations around pedagogy, policy or content and dives deeply into the teacher heart and soul.  His writing puts words to the deep feelings of tension and paradox that encompass our work each day, and he paints a refreshing picture of hope and understanding cultivating a deep sense of courage and purpose.  Years ago he launched The Center for Courage & Renewal to further the impact of his work and has continued to be a grass roots activist on behalf of our work and our country.

Collaboration Is Difficult…

While it seems there is a common call for more time to collaborate in all school districts, those who dig into the meaningful work of true collaboration discover it is far easier to continue working in isolation.  The majority of us learned our trade figuring it out as we went through the enduring pains of trial and error.  Being isolated in our classrooms was simply the norm, and the true collaborative work described in PLC literature was unheard of.  Today we have clear evidence showing the need for real collaboration, yet the work of doing collaboration is much different from the work we have been good at.  Digging into showing our results, aligning our instruction with clearly articulated outcomes and common assessments, and engaging in robust action research can feel like an invasion of one’s craft.  The truth we all know deep inside us however, is that truly collaborating in this way is the real work of excellent teaching; it is just very difficult work on many days.   

Principal Collaboration or Principal Coblaboration?

Chapter 5 of Learning By Doing by DuFour, DuFour, Eaker and Many makes very clear that true collaborative teams working as professional learning communities (PLCs) are disciplined and focus intensely on doing “the right work.”  The right work for staff operating as an effective team is focused on the four questions of a PLC:

• What is it we want all students to learn?
• How will we know if each student has learned it?
• How will we respond when some students do not learn it?
• How can we extend and enrich the learning for students who have demonstrated proficiency?

Saying No to Shiny Objects

Several years ago a teacher I was interviewing revealed his depth of experience teaching junior high students in a statement made with a very matter-of-fact demeanor.  Paraphrased: “Junior high kids are great to teach.  Some of them are dead serious about working on real issues and some are distracted by shiny objects – and they go back and forth in minutes!”  His love for students, and the challenge of teaching them, came through loud and clear as he wove through each question with a story about a student he had worked with over the years. 

Redefining Professional Development

As an athlete in my childhood (yes… past tense…) I relished the feelings following a hard-earned victory or long workout that mixed total exhaustion with exuberant energy or excitement.  The same feelings emerge after a large musical production following weeks of long, hard rehearsals, and I believe we educators thrive on the ebb and flow of exhaustion and passionate energy in the ongoing cycles of the school year.  Today I am both exhausted from two weeks of long-planned leadership retreats and absolutely energized by the excitement of passionate leaders focusing on the right work in ISD 191.